29

As expected, the streets of Comragon were almost empty, but they had not entered the coastal town yet. At the main road into the town stood a group of slumped Hunters O' The Dark, trying to remain in the shade as much as they could, what shade there was. Upon seeing Miraveh, Sialira and Daras approach, the Hunters made hurried whispers between themselves before one, reluctant, stepped forward, his face hidden by the hood of his cloak.

"State your business." He lifted his head, squinting as the sunlight caught his eyes, and studied the three riders. "We've not had any news of travellers arriving today."

"We've been hunting Witches down near the Lake of the Dead. Escaped from holding in Damuron four days gone." Daras leaned forward after patting his saddlebags. "Almost out of provisions and if we don't restock fast, we'll lose their trail."

The Hunter moved to Daras' side and patted the saddlebags himself before moving on to Miraveh's horse. Every so often, the Hunter would look up, catch the sunlight again and dip his head with a grimace. At this hour, with the Sun at its zenith, looking anywhere but at the ground would feel like needles pricking in the eyes, so bright was the light.

To Miraveh's side, she could almost feel Sialira tense. Her back straightening, head turning far too often. A clear sign of nerves. Miraveh wished she could hiss a retort, tell the girl to settle down, but they had agreed to only let Daras speak. He knew this area better than anyone and could bluff his way through any question. At least, Miraveh hoped so.

Under the dwindling shade, Miraveh could see the other two Hunters. One pressed herself as deep into the shadows as she could, the other stood a little forward, fingers playing upon the necklace about her neck. The Karline of the three and, no doubt, she tested the veracity of Sialira's relic about her own neck. Miraveh could well understand Sialira's nervousness.

Should they fail here, then the entire plan would fail. All it needed was for the Karline to realise that Sialira was not one of them. Or the other Hunters not believe Daras' rehearsed conversation. Under the brilliant white Hunter cloak, Miraveh's hand slipped to the hilt of the sword stolen by Daras in his previous visits to Comragon. She couldn't carry Alran's sword here and it felt odd not having it at her hip.

"Not staying for the festival?" The Hunter only looked at Miraveh's saddlebags before patting her horse's neck and stepping away. "We have a good dozen of these magical filth to consign to fire. I expect they'll hear the screams at the Lake of the Dead!"

The Hunter laughed at the prospect of killing Witches, elves and other magically touched folk and it sickened Miraveh. She had no love for Witches, but treating their deaths as entertainment made anger rise within herself. She allowed a deep breath to escape her nostrils and noticed an undisguised look of hatred pass across the face of the Hunter's Karline companion. All was not as friendly as it appeared within the ranks of the Hunters O' The Dark.

"No, no, my friend. In and out, I'm afraid." Daras joined the laughter and, to Miraveh's ears, it sounded genuine, even though she knew Daras would find the Hunter as hateful as she. "Though Damuron will soon have their own Witches to burn, once we catch them, eh?"

"That you will!" Again the Hunter laughed before pointing further into the almost deserted streets of the town. "Eyalfa Waved-In-Sleep is who you need to see for supplies. Good quality, but not cheap. Good hunting to you! By our hand ..."

"... Magic will end." Ending the greeting that he had heard on previous visits, Daras gave the Hunter a nod of the head and tapped the flanks of his horse with his heels, setting off into the town. He paused. "Oh, just to let you know, we saw a Vurta tiger, earlier. I could have sworn I saw human bones around its lair. May want to watch out for that."

"Aye? We've had trouble with animals of late. Where?" The Hunter glanced to his comrades before Daras pointed in a direction away from the grove where Turotara still hid with Brothimir.

"About, I'd say, a mile, mile-and-a-half that-away." Daras shook his head, a look of concern crossing his features. "I'd have a care, though. It was a big, nasty looking beast. I'd not care to go near it again. Good hunting!"

With that it appeared the conversation had ended. The Hunter turned his back, returning to the shadows and his comrades, and began to confer with them. All three glanced out towards the grasslands and where Daras had informed them of the lair of the Vurta tiger, an embellishment that Daras had not informed Miraveh about, but it could prove useful should the Hunters send some of their number to investigate.

All the while, Sialira had diminished in her saddle under the gaze of the Karline. Miraveh had suppressed her magic, but she could imagine that the Karline had reached out with their own magic towards Sialira. They knew that would happen, a test of authenticity between the Karline, but still Sialira had quailed and Miraveh could very well understand her. The Karline had an intensity about them that felt disconcerting.

As they moved further into the town, Miraveh took the opportunity to take her bearings. The map did not do the town justice, but it appeared accurate. Though larger in spread than most northern towns, it seemed it held no greater population. Where the houses of northern towns tended to huddle together within streets barely wide enough for two horses beside each other, the streets here were wider, the houses spread further apart, allowing cooling breezes to funnel through the wider, empty spaces.

Many of the buildings had large awnings, casting wide shadows that stopped sunlight encroaching through open windows and doorways. Under the awnings lay carpets with elaborate embroidered patterns, cushions and short-legged tables with incense burners, sweet smelling smoke drifting up to gather under the awnings. The buildings stood squat and wide, painted bright white and none stood more than two stories in height. From a few windows, Miraveh could see eyes watching as they passed.

"I could feel her. It felt like ... like an eel twisting around me." Sialira began to turn in her saddle, about to look back towards the Hunters, but Miraveh shook a finger, pointing forward. "It was disgusting. That's not what magic should be. Magic should be pure and untouched by human hates and fears."

"Keep talking like that and you'll experience plenty of human hates and fears." Miraveh scowled at the few people that dared to suffer the heat, wandering around, their heads covered by scarves. Their eyes never lifted from the ground. "We keep our mouths closed and we stick to the plan. Can you feel anything?"

Sialira pouted at Miraveh from beneath the hood of her cloak but she furrowed her brow as she concentrated. It didn't take much power for a Witch to sense other wielders of magic. It wouldn't appear too odd or out of place for a Karline to use their magic. Miraveh wished that her own magic wasn't so noticeable. Without it, they had to rely upon Sialira finding the Candidate and Miraveh wasn't even certain anyone that wasn't a Seeker could.

In all her days in the library of the Coven of Scales, Miraveh had never found anything about Seekers. Not of Seekers such as Kay, who had the ability to find the Shards of Mirrorwood and to find and fight the Shade of Xirasir, or of any others. Sialira, too, had never come across any books that mentioned Seekers and that gap in knowledge could as easy be the size of the greatest ocean. Lack of knowledge scuppered many a well-thought plan.

"I can't feel anything. That's even if I'm able to sense the Candidate in the first place." Sialira shook her head, her hands gripping the reins of her horse so tight, the knuckles whitened. "If I wasn't so weak ..."

"You're not weak! Your talents lie elsewhere and you are needed and vital." One of Daras' hands hovered, about to reach across to Sialira, bur, as he had observed, Hunters rarely touched each other, if ever. "We just need to get closer to this Candidate is all."

Miraveh said nothing and wished she had done so before. Sialira had always known she lacked the power that other Witches had at their disposal, but she had accepted that and focussed herself upon other pursuits in order to have a purpose. More than once, Miraveh had disparaged Sialira's lack of power and now that had come back to haunt her. She did not need Sialira questioning her abilities now.

"Wait! I feel something. I ... dear gods!" Sialira's head snapped around. First to one side, then the other as she tried to see what had caused her curse. "That ... they are so powerful. It's ... I think I may be sick."

Miraveh tried to keep her composure as she turned to look where Sialira had looked. There, Miraveh saw three men, three Hunters O' The Dark. They paid no attention to Miraveh, Sialira or Daras, merely walking along at pace. They wore the same clothing as every Hunter O' The Dark, except each wore a white sash across their chests. Sialira had almost melted into her saddle until Daras gave her leg a fast tap.

As the Hunters passed by, the two in the lead did not even glance towards the three riders, as though they were unworthy of the Hunters' attention. The third, however, paused as he came near Sialira. His head tilted as he raised a hand that had a ring upon each of the three first fingers. The last, the little finger, was nothing but a burned stub. After a quick touch of those rings, the third man inclined his head to Sialira and continued on his way.

Miraveh had no doubts that he was the one that had caused Sialira's panic. She didn't need to stop suppressing her magic to know that he was the Karline of that trio of Hunters. She could tell because of those rings. Each one was a relic and if a Karline could use more than one relic to gain even greater power, that would change everything.

-+-

Without appearing suspicious, Miraveh watched the Hunters enter a nearby tavern and waited for them to move out of sight before she caught up with Daras. This complicated matters. She had already seen, and experienced, how a relic could give a wielder of magic far greater power. With more than one, if each added more power, it could turn the balance against any Witch that tried to fight against them.

"Daras, follow those three." She tilted her hooded head towards the tavern. "Find out what you can about that Karline. He worries me."

"I can't. Hunters always travel in threes. We can't separate, it would look suspicious." He raised his hand, wiping the sweat from his brow beneath the hood. "If we want to find out more, we have to do it together, but what of the captive Witches? Don't forget, they die at dawn, burned this time, instead of hung from a pole."

"I agree with Daras." Still hunched in her saddle, Sialira looked even more small than usual after falling under the glare of that Karline. "The Witches are the priority, surely?"

They weren't. Not to Miraveh. The priority for her was the Candidate to replace one of the Pillars. The Seeker's Urge gave her no leeway on that. If others happened to become rescued in the course of freeing the Candidate, all the better, but Miraveh had only one goal in mind. Once accomplished, and the Candidate given over to Witches better suited to dealing with them, Miraveh would be free to follow her own goals. Or, at least, she hoped so.

For a while, Miraveh mulled over her options. A squint towards the sky told her that the mid-day heat would diminish far too soon to take on any other tasks. With almost everyone taking shade indoors, the town remained deserted, but that could change at any moment. Even now, she could see people venturing out into the harsh, prickling heat. They had to find the Candidate now and leave the town in haste.

"You don't understand! If that Karline is as powerful as I think he could be, we won't survive this if we're found out." She chewed upon her lip, fingers rubbing against the leather wrappings of the sword handle still gripped in her hand. "We've already seen that they can use magic to hurt people, despite what Witches think."

"I still don't think that's possible." Sialira pursed her lips, shaking her head. Unwilling to accept something that contradicted her training. "There must be another explanation. A method of using magic that looks like it's used to hurt people."

"Tell that to the bruise I'm still nursing." She remembered well the rock smashing into her side, thrown, magically, by a Karline. That felt very much like someone using magic to hurt her. "Forget it. Can you feel anything yet?"

She had only asked Sialira the same question moments before, but Miraveh still needed the answer. Even if the young Witch couldn't feel the Candidate, she could sense any Witches within her, albeit small, circle of magic. Sialira shook her head and Miraveh wished the girl would use the relic to enhance her magic. Then again, she hated the thought of Sialira having to touch such a hateful object.

They continued on through the town, passing the shop where the guards at the edge of town had recommended for supplies. The streets were long, wide and, for the most part, straight. Now, having passed half-way through the town, Miraveh began to smell the unmistakeable scents of the docks. A light breeze carrying the essence of fresh-caught fish, the scent of the sea drifting along with it.

Daras had said the Witches were held captive near the docks and, using the map and her own magical senses, Miraveh had all but confirmed it. Now, with her magic suppressed, Miraveh could not tell if the Candidate lay ahead or not. Whether locked away with the Witches, or held elsewhere. Once again, she cursed magic and her need to rely upon it. She wished she'd never heard of the power, let alone held it within herself.

They soon came to the end of the long street, where it opened out into the docks area. Several huts dotted the outskirts of the docks, the smell of fish beginning to fester under the harsh heat of the day. Only a few people milled around here. Dark-skinned, shirtless dock workers, men and women, tended ropes and nets, or lay upon sacks of grain, soaking in the sunshine that would burn anyone else.

And, there, to one side, Miraveh saw three Hunters stood outside a large building that looked like a squat warehouse. She looked towards Sialira and did not need the girl to say that she could sense magic wielders within that warehouse. Now they had found the Witches, they had to figure out a way to get inside and, hopefully, Sialira could sort the Candidate from the Witches.

A few buildings away from the warehouse stood a dishevelled looking tavern. A dockside tavern, with all its faults and blessings, with hitching posts outside under a wide, tattered awning. As good a place as any to take shade until they could decide how to proceed. Dismounting, they began tying their horses to the posts.

Even before they had finished, a young boy rushed from within the tavern, as ragged as the tavern itself, the boy carried a large jug of water in his arms and began to pour the water into a trough by the hitching post. The horses dipped their heads and began to drink as soon as the first drop fell within. Once he had emptied the jug, the boy rushed back inside. He never looked at Miraveh, Sialira or Daras once.

A man emerged. Once, Miraveh surmised, he had carried a lot more weight upon his wide shoulders. Now his muscles and skin sagged in clothes made for a much larger man, his face drawn and pained, skin dull and dry. In his hands, he carried three mugs of some kind of ale, though Miraveh couldn't recognise the scent. As she dug into her coin pouch to pay him, the man made vigorous waves of his hands, shaking his head and looking around beyond the companions, terror etched upon his features, before ducking back inside the tavern. He never said a single word and, like the boy, didn't look at any of them once.

"They're terrified." Sialira tilted her head, trying to see into the shadowed tavern, the mug in her hands almost as big as her. "I thought the Hunters left normal folk alone?"

"These fine, principled people stuck up for the Witches when the Hunters first came. Some paid a harsh price for those principles." Daras had taken a long drink of the ale, releasing a satisfied sigh before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "It took some persuading of my third cousin to even find out that much. They are terrified. The Hunters O' The Dark firmly believe in guilt by association."

"That awful." Even as she said it, Miraveh knew it didn't sound genuine. The townsfolk of Comragon were not her concern. "Finish that and scout that warehouse. Take off the cloak and act like a normal person."

"Did you not hear him the first time?" With a wave of a finger, encompassing all three of them, Sialira made her point. "We need to stay together. All three of us or we'll bring suspicion down upon our heads."

"And if we don't scout that warehouse, we could put ourselves in unnecessary danger." Miraveh looked across to the warehouse where the three Hunters lounged against the wall, trying to find the tiniest respite from the Sun. "If anyone asks, he's gone to relieve himself. We need to know of any other ways in and out, whether those are the only guards, the layout inside. Find out as much as you can."

Daras nodded his head. To Sialira, he gave a reluctant shrug and a squeeze of her hand before sloping away around the edge of the tavern. Within seconds, he had gone and Miraveh didn't doubt that no-one would see him until he returned. This kind of task would suit a thief of Daras' self-promoted skills. Miraveh certainly had to have faith in those skills, even if she had never actually seen them in action save for a bit of light-fingered pickpocketing.

With Daras gone, that left Miraveh and Sialira alone. Miraveh reached down to a threadbare cushion, much like those beneath the other awnings throughout the town, but not as well made, shook the dust from it and dropped it back to the dusty carpet. She sat down, watching the warehouse and its three Hunter guards. After several seconds, Sialira joined her.

"Your plan is as threadbare as this carpet." With disgusted grimace, the bridge of her nose creasing, Sialira tugged at a loose thread upon the carpet. "I can't feel them, you know? The Candidate. I can feel Witches and elves and some other magical creatures, but I can't sense anything that screams out 'Candidate'."

"Maybe only Seekers can sense them. I don't know." Miraveh took a sip of the ale and smacked her lips. However it was made, it had a slight chill to it, most welcome in this heat. "Maybe we can identify them a different way when we see them. What I do know is that if I have to stop suppressing my magic to find out, every Karline in the town will know I'm here and we don't want that."

In that way, Miraveh could end up helping the Witches held captive by the Hunters. She didn't want to reveal her magic at all, especially now, after encountering that Karline with several relics. Opening up her magic could set in motion something far worse than Sialira could imagine. Miraveh would have to use the relic about Sialira's neck and the last time she had used a relic, only the power of a dragon had stopped her. There were no dragons here.

"You aren't Hunters O' The Dark!" The voice came from behind them. "Who are you?"

Miraveh had drawn her sword, jumped to her feet and pushed the owner of the voice against the wall before the final word had left their lips. Someone had found them out.